This thread is to discuss how to improve Leicester's historically significant buildings and areas in order for them to be appreciated alongside the regeneration of the city.
Leicester's best kept secret is the Castle Great Hall, though it may not look like a 'castle' it has had a chequered history like many of England's finest castles.
It is currently not open to the public and would be a great tourist attraction if it were (many who don't even know it exists!).
Here's a reconstruction of what the castle area and Leicester may have looked like during the Norman period:
Source: Leicester City Council website
From west bank around 1795 (the original hall looked like this):
Source: Stevenson, J. Leicester Through the Ages (1995), p16 (original from Nichols, Vol I, part II, 1815)
Interior of the hall early 17th century (you can see it being used as a court, though it is now split up. The two Norman windows are still there):
Source: Stevenson, J. Leicester Through the Ages (1995), p15 (original from Thomson, J, Leicester Castle, 1859)
Leicester's best kept secret is the Castle Great Hall, though it may not look like a 'castle' it has had a chequered history like many of England's finest castles.
It is currently not open to the public and would be a great tourist attraction if it were (many who don't even know it exists!).
Here's a reconstruction of what the castle area and Leicester may have looked like during the Norman period:
Source: Leicester City Council website
From west bank around 1795 (the original hall looked like this):
Source: Stevenson, J. Leicester Through the Ages (1995), p16 (original from Nichols, Vol I, part II, 1815)
Interior of the hall early 17th century (you can see it being used as a court, though it is now split up. The two Norman windows are still there):
Source: Stevenson, J. Leicester Through the Ages (1995), p15 (original from Thomson, J, Leicester Castle, 1859)